Improvement in tunnelling rivers



j/a mi III" lI III IIIIIII IIII si; 'II I l E I I I'Il I Iy IIIIII I l II'III: Ik I, III' I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJMIII j Ni. PETERS. PHOTOMTMQGRAPH Method of lunnellingunder Rivers, &c`.

.and dimensions with the particular tunnel, inthe `be adapted `to extendthewhole or any desired portion of the tunnel proper, as shown.

`able itsconstruction at convenientpoints, and transfacilitate its use.

aritmetica `w11. L1AM SYKnfs,- Or s-Hnrrnlnn, EncLANfpg* Letters Patent No. 99,493,

mail` February/i, 1870.

IMPRQVEMENT 1N TNNELLING RrvERs.

The Schedule referredto in these Lettere` Patent and making part of the same.

I, WILLIAM. Sykes, of Sheield, in the county of: York, England, have invented a new land useful Nature and Objects of the Intention.

`My invention "is applicable to the construction of tunnels, of whatever description, under rivers and other shallow bodies of water having alluvial beds.

i The improvement consists in the employment or, use of an isolating-shield in which to perform the work of excavation and building, and'to form further, prefera-bly, wholly or inpn-rt, a sheathing for the finished tunnel, said shield being adapted to be built at convenient places, oated in sections to the desired locality, and sunk.

. Description of Drawings.

The accompanying drawings, illustrating my improved method of tunnelling, represent its application to the construction cfa double brick tunnel- Figure lbeing atransverseV section ofthe finished tunnel.

Figure 2, a transverse section of the shield in position and ready for the commencement of the building.

Figures `3 and 4, horizontal sections, in different planes and on a contracted scale, of the shieldyas represented in g`2.

Figures' and 6, .longitudinall sections on the same' scale as gs. 3 and 4, respectively, representing the shield as represented in said figures and iig. 2, and the tunnel completed, as represented in fig. l.

'.lhe dotted lines z y, in ig..5, indicate the planes of the horizontal sections, figs. Sand 4, respectively.

. k 4 Gene/ral Description.

The isolating-shield, forming the essential feature of my invention, indicated by A in the drawings, is a bottomless structure corresponding in transverse form building of which it `is employed. -In length, it may ofthe distance across the body of the water. Itis of such depthl "as to project slightly below the foundation It is built in sections, l 2, of proper length to en-` portation to the place where it is v to be used, and to Its sides are supported laterally at their lower edges by a gridior frame, c, and the marginal bars vb of this grid or frame aresharpened and hardened, to en able them to cut into the bottom when the shield is sunk thereon. Y Y i At suitable.intervals,.preferably,ffor convenience, at the ends of the sections, turrets e, wholly'or in part removable, are provided to give access to its interior duringr theoperations o i excavating and building, said` turrets being of such height as to enable them to pro-` when the shield is at the desired level.

The-respective' sections are. adapted severally to receive chambers or. tanks, d, or their equivalent, `in

lject a safe distance above the surfaceoi' the water Y l their upper part, and suitable temporary framing, c,

for the support ot such chambers, and also temporary water-tight ends f, with all of which they are prelimi# i narily provided, to enable them `to be tloated tothe desired locality and sunk, the chambers or tanks t serving,`1n an empty condition, as buoys for floating the sections, and when filled with water, orother ma terial, or both water and other material, to admit Aof which they are provided with sluices, d', or suitable plugs, as weights to sink or aid in sinking them, and

When employed, it is applied in the originalmauu:

facture of the shield, and only by having `chance for application, thus is enabled to be used.

y I propose employing any suitable material or cornbination of. dilerent materials in the' construction ot' plate-iron, strengthened by internalT and L-ribs.

The details of construction will vary with particular circumstances, and the material employed. The precisedetails of operation may also be varied to suit y particular circumstances.

` Removable floors may, in connection with the temporary ends f, or inner doors, forni the chambers for loating and sinking in the sections, and the separate chambers d bedispensed with, or any other equivalent of said chamhersmay be employed.

The'tu'rrets may be adjustable in height, to enable them to be extended as required, and alein any case removable at about the bed of the river, being conuected at this point by bolts and nuts, orsimilar fastenings.

` Mode of lOperation.`

`The proposed mode of building, transporting, sink-` ing, and using the shield is as follows: f 1 `The character and dimensions of' the desired tunnel 'the body of the shield. As represented, it is built of being determined, the shield -is built, in sections as stated, of the preferred material or mateiials.

The building is, performed in Suitable docks, near the proposed site of the work. Each section is here iittedup com plete with the chambers (l, or the equivalent thereof employed, with the turrets c, or the permanent portions of them, and with the temporary ends On the completion, when it is required, water is admitted to the dock, oating the section, when it may be towed to the site.

Reaching the site, the section is placed in position, and secured there by temporary piling, barges, or other suitable means. At the proper moment, the sluices d in the chambers d are opened, and the water permitted to iill them, (other weighty material'being added, if desired,) sinking the section. The chambers are then closed, so as to retain the waterin them. Onthe grid a being found to have cut a sucientdistance into the material ot' the bed, which may be assisted or accelerated by exhausting the air from the turrets by suitable means, the water is pumped out of the lower portion, and workmen sent down to take out the excavation.

The weight of the section itself, increased by the 'water in its ,elevated chamber, will usually be suicient to gradually sink the section. Should, however,

the surface-friction prove too great toy prevent it readily sinking, the air may again be exhausted to aiord the requisite additional pressure.

The excavated material is hoisted' through the turrets, and removed by barges.

In case of quicksand occurring in the excavation, and occasioning trouble, an air-lock maybe made n each of the turrets, vand by means of an air-pump the atmosphere in the interior of the sectionI so compressed as to overcome the influx of'water and sand, when the men can continue to work, sending out the excavated material through the air-locks.

IWhen the necessary depthv is reached, the work of excavation isstoppcd, and that of laying the masonry', indicated by C in the drawings, commenced. Should the ground require it,l the bott-oml is first covered toa proper depth with a bed of concrete, as indicated at D in the drawings, for security; but if the bottom is found to he oi' hard and strong material, the concrete need only be used for the purpose of 'giving form for setting the masonry.

The building-materials may be introduced through the turrets, or through the finished end of the tunnel, or both. y

The chambers d are emptied, and, with their snpports i, are removed as the mason-work progresses, being taken out through the'turrets.

For the withdrawal of the water from the chambers d, any suitable means may be employed.

On one section being sunk to its place, or during the operation of sinking it, another maybe brought into line, and as nearly as possible to it,` and sunk in the same manner as the irst. y

On both reaching the desired level, they are connected by the piling B, as indicated in figs. 3, f1, 5, and 6, the water in the enclosure thus made pumped out, and excavation made tothe depth 'of the tunnel, when the temporary ends or doors f being removed, the mau sonry maybe continued fromonc section ofthe shield to the other. y

The masonry at these points, including the width of the turrets, is covered with boiler-plate. "The body of the. shield forms a permanent covering for it at other points, the ribs, Svc., of said, shield, when internal, being embedded iny the same, as indicated in the drawings.v

The tunnel being completed, the turretsc are removed at the .surface of the bed, and the piling B drawn, when the bed is lett perfectly clear.

A It will be seen from the above that I am enabled by my invention to utilize the water, under which the tunnel is to be constructed, for transportation, &c., to make the ,necessary excavation, and build the tunnel with minimum amount of labor, and greatest possible speed, with less danger than' by the old methods, at the same time producing a superior tunnel, and not in the least,impair-ing,navigation, and with a less depth of excavation adjoining thereto.

Claims.

Witnesses l Guo. MARTIN RAE, J. SAURIN MCMURRAY. 

